


Cinderella and the Billionaire

by HaughtScot



Series: Cinderella and the Billionaire [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: AU, Billionaire Waverly, Cliche all the way, F/F, Mills and Boon AU, Pure Mills & Boon, Romance Novel, Sailing Nicole, Student Nicole, Yachts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-04-08 00:05:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaughtScot/pseuds/HaughtScot
Summary: Nicole Haught’s summer job leads her to the Dalmatian Coast and the yacht of one young billionaire, Waverly Earp. What could these women from different worlds have in common...?Yes, it’s a Mills & Boon inspired WayHaught cheesy romance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A few weeks ago I posted a photo of some Mills & Boon titles on Twitter, fun ensued, a plot line was born and here we are! To everyone that contributed there, look what you did...
> 
> The first of (hopefully) many Mills & Boon AUs...
> 
> Thanks to LuckyWantsToKnow for errant comma removal (and much more besides).

Happy hour drink in hand, Nicole eased herself down into the rickety chair and stretched her legs out. She’d arrived in Dubrovnik less than an hour before after a long bus journey, and despite the shower and fresh clothes, the effects of travelling lingered. With just one night in the hostel before starting her last job of the summer, she was attempting to make the most of it with drinks on the roof terrace. Once there, however, she found she wasn’t really in the mood to socialize and she chose a spot near the terrace wall so she could look down to the narrow, cobbled alley below and to the city beyond.

The last six weeks had already begun to fade into a blur of yachts and crews and ports. Glamorous vacations for those on board, but for Nicole, it was purely work.

Three summers spent crewing on yachts had built her experience and her reputation so that she hadn’t been short of an offer. She worked hard at whatever she was asked to do, and kept to herself.

Her summer so far had been split between a family sailing in the Mediterranean, and a young couple island hopping in Greece. The family, with a dad that spent most days holed up in an office, presumably conducting the business that enabled them to have such luxurious vacations, also had two children that Nicole found herself in charge of more often than not. The young couple, famous for something that Nicole still wasn’t quite sure of, were more interested in partying and picking up probably also famous guests, at every port. That was another reason why Nicole was a valued member of a crew: her discretion. She could be counted on not to gossip about whatever happened on these trips. Not being particularly interested in pop culture, she quite often only had a faint idea of who these people were anyway.

She hoped that her upcoming post, two weeks on the Dalmatian coast, would be a pleasant, straightforward end to her summer before she returned home for her final year of college.

Nicole took a sip of her unnaturally brightly colored frozen drink and winced at the sweetness. With some effort, she pushed herself up to standing, intending to switch her cocktail for a beer. As she moved, she caught her foot on the chair leg and stumbled, instinctively throwing out her hands to catch herself on the wall. It was only when she heard a surprised squeal from the alley below that she realised what she’d done. She glanced first at the now-empty cup in her hand, then down to the young woman, white dress painted vivid red from Nicole’s spilled drink, glaring back up at her.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! It was an accident,” Nicole called down, horrified.

“What the hell?” the other woman demanded, tossing her long, wavy hair back as she angrily gestured to the stain spreading down her floaty dress.

Nicole repeated, “I’m so sorry. Wait there,” then ran back inside and downstairs as fast as her flip flops would allow. By the time she emerged into the lane, the woman had gone, leaving behind a puddle of red liquid and Nicole’s embarrassment. She hurried to the end of the street and into one of the city’s bustling squares, but there was no sign of her.

In an effort to shake the guilty feeling, Nicole decided to join the crowds strolling the streets of the medieval city. She’d visited before, not often enough to really know the city, so she let herself get lost, climbing up stairs and wandering down alleyways as the feeling took her. As darkness fell, the night air still warm on her skin, she took a seat outside a busy bar and ordered a beer, content to soak up the atmosphere.

By the time she headed back to the hostel, she felt calm and peaceful, the incident with the spilled drink almost forgotten, but a vague image of long hair and a white dress lingering in her mind.

8:00 am the next morning saw Nicole waiting outside her hostel, as she’d been instructed to do. She had protested that she was capable of finding her own way, but her contact was equally as insistent that she’d be collected. She hadn’t been waiting long when a tall man, with tanned skin and short dark hair, approached and asked, “Nicole?”

“That’s me.” She held out her hand and he took it in a firm handshake, introducing himself.  
“I’m Marin. Are you ready to go?”

Nicole shouldered her large rucksack and replied, “Yep. Where are we going?”

“Further down the coast to Cavtat. We’re sailing,” Marin told her as they walked towards the marina.

“Are we moored there?”

“For the next week, then we’ll be sailing up the coast.”

They continued to chat as they set off in the small charter boat, and Nicole soon found out that Marin was from the area and, according to him at least, was the best person with whom to sail the coast.

Once they’d negotiated the busy marina and were out in open water, Marin asked, “You sail?”

“Sure, I’ve spent a lot of time on the water.”

Wordlessly, he stepped aside and gestured for Nicole to take his place, and she happily moved in front of the controls. She guided them confidently round the coast, following the shoreline as Marin instructed, and she revelled in the feeling of the refreshing sea breeze on her skin and in her hair.

An hour after leaving Dubrovnik, the terracotta roofs of Cavtat came into view between the trees, and with a few pointers from Marin, Nicole steered them safely into dock in the small marina, their little boat dwarfed by the row of massive yachts berthed alongside.

Once they’d safely moored, Nicole grabbed her things and followed Marin past the other craft, each one bigger than the last, until he stopped in front of the largest, certainly the biggest Nicole had ever worked on.

“Seriously?” She turned to Marin with an incredulous laugh, and was met with a grin.

“Impressive, huh? Come on, I’ll give you the tour and you can meet the rest of the crew.”

“Where do you even charter a yacht like this?” Nicole wondered, as they stepped onto the passerelle to board.

“Oh, it’s not a charter, she owns it.”

“She does? Who is she?”

“Waverly Earp. In fact, here she comes.” Marin dropped his voice to a whisper as a woman emerged on deck.

Even Nicole had heard of Waverly Earp. A young billionaire, self-made apparently, Nicole remembered, but she couldn’t recall where her wealth came from. Inheritance, probably, Nicole thought, sceptical of the self-made claim.

She rearranged her features into a smile as the woman, Waverly, approached, and Marin called out to her, “Waverly! Come meet your new crew member.”

First-name terms, Nicole noted. Not everyone was so friendly with their staff. Waverly, eyes hidden behind fashionably large sunglasses, greeted Nicole with an outstretched hand and a huge grin, showing perfect white teeth.

“Hi! Welcome aboard. I’m Waverly.”

“I’m Nicole. Nicole Haught. Thanks for having me.”

Nicole could have kicked herself. _Thanks for having me?_ Like she was a kid invited to a sleepover.

Luckily, Waverly continued, “And what are you going to be doing for us, Nicole?”

“Anything you need me to, really,” Nicole shrugged, hoping to come off as casual. She saw Waverly’s eyebrows rise above her sunglasses.

“Anything, huh? I’ll remember that,” she replied with a small smirk.

Nicole willed herself not to blush. This woman, with her perfect smile, and her golden suntan, and her toned, slender legs that Nicole absolutely had not looked at. She was beautiful, and, Nicole realised at that moment, horribly familiar. Her long hair was neatly braided and her expression much less hostile, but there was no doubt she was the woman she’d spilled a drink on the previous evening. Nicole felt her smile slide but luckily Waverly, who had shown no hint of recognition, had turned away.

“I’ll be on the top deck doing yoga,” she called back, adding, “Nice to meet you, Nicole.”

Nicole was in a bit of a daze as Marin showed her to her cabin and introduced her to the rest of the crew. It was quite a small crew for the size of the yacht, so she knew she’d be kept busy.

Waverly had guests flying in later that day, and throughout the week, so Nicole was immediately put to work making sure the guest cabins were ready. As she worked, she let her mind drift to thoughts of Waverly. Should she own up to the drink spilling and apologize? Would Waverly even care? She probably wouldn’t even get the chance to speak to her about it anyway.

She had almost convinced herself that there was no need to embarrass herself further by trying to confess to Waverly when she found the dress, tossed carelessly across a bed in a cabin. As she examined the stain, dried dark red against the brilliant white, an idea came to her, and she hurried to the kitchen. It was as well stocked as she’d expected, and she quickly found the ingredients she needed. She mixed them in a bowl and dabbed a little directly on the stain, then left it to work as she filled the sink and added the rest of the solution.

She left the dress soaking while she finished her morning tasks, and when she returned to it, she was pleased to see the stain had disappeared.

“Never fails,” she grinned to herself, mentally patting herself on the back.

Waverly arrived back from the airport with three friends in tow later in the afternoon, but Nicole was too busy to catch more than a few glimpses of them before they went ashore to spend the evening sampling what was on offer in the waterfront bars and restaurants. Nicole was invited to join some of the crew members as they did the same, but after her long day she was content to retire to her cabin early with a book for company.

In the morning, Nicole, through years of habit, was up early to carry out her routine tasks, and she was sitting on the lower deck going over the schedule Marin had given her when she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned to see Waverly approaching, dress in hand and a questioning look on her face.

“Oh, hey, good morning,” Nicole said, feeling suddenly nervous.

“Did you do this?” asked Waverly without preamble, as she held up the dress.

“I thought I could try something to get the stain out. I hope that’s okay.”

“You didn’t have to. I thought it was ruined, I was going to throw it away.” Waverly was examining the dress again as if she couldn’t believe it was the same one.

“I know, but why throw it away when there’s nothing wrong with it? That’s wasteful,” Nicole tried to keep the hint of reproach from her voice but from the way Waverly looked up at her sharply, she had failed. As someone who was careful with money, through habit and often necessity, Nicole couldn’t understand throwing away something valuable without a second thought. It served to highlight just how different their worlds were.

“How did you get the stain out?” Waverly asked.

“Uh, I made a stain remover that I use at home, it works on everything.”

“You made it? Well, thank you. It was very sweet of you to go to so much effort,” Waverly told her sincerely.

Nicole felt herself blush as she replied, “It’s fine, it was no trouble really.”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right. You were the one that dropped the drink on me after all.”

Nicole’s eyes widened in surprise and she opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally managed to choke out, “You knew?”

“As soon as I met you yesterday. I’d recognise that red hair anywhere,” Waverly chuckled.

Nicole immediately raised her hand to touch her ponytail self-consciously. “Were you going to say anything?”

“Probably not. Unless you did it again.”

“I tried to find you to apologise but you’d gone by the time I got downstairs. I’m so sorry, it really was an accident,” Nicole apologised, watching Waverly for her reaction.

The other woman gave her an appraising look, then nodded. “Okay. Apology accepted, and you’ve made up for it with this,” she acknowledged as she held up the dress.

“Good. Anything else you need, you know where I am.”

“How about some yoga? Wanna join me?”

“Um, I can’t, I’ve got things to do,” Nicole told her, indicating the schedule.

“How about tomorrow? I’ll tell Marin I need you for half an hour,” Waverly offered.

Nicole wondered why Waverly was so keen to have her join her yoga session.

“I don’t really do yoga...”

“All the more reason to do it with me then. I bet you could use the relaxation. 9am tomorrow, top deck.” Waverly’s tone allowed no disagreement, and Nicole stared after her as she walked away.

She had no idea what to think of Waverly Earp.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Waverly does yoga, Nicole rides a bike and our favourite pair sample some Croatian wine...
> 
> Thanks to LuckyWantsToKnow for some excellent editing and a few gentle prods in the right direction.

Nicole heard Waverly and her friends return in the early hours, so the last thing she expected was Waverly seeking her out just after 9am.

“You’re late. I was waiting,” Waverly told her sternly, but with a smile on her face.

“Oh, I wasn’t sure... You got back late so I didn’t know if you’d want to...” Nicole trailed off.

“Keeping track of what I’m doing?” Waverly raised her eyebrows.

“No! I just heard... Never mind. I need to change first.” Nicole tried to redirect the conversation to hide how flustered she felt.

Waverly eyed her shorts and loose t-shirt, and waved dismissively. “What you’re wearing is fine. Let’s go.”

She led her up to the top deck, open to the sun, where she had already laid out two yoga mats.

“Do you do this every morning?” asked Nicole as she followed Waverly, trying not to let her eyes wander down the figure in front of her.

“Yep, it’s the best way to start the day. It really helps me with stress.”

Nicole scoffed a little under her breath at that. What did Waverly have to be stressed about?

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Waverly tossed back over her shoulder, and Nicole winced.

Waverly took Nicole through some breathing techniques before they started, and although she proved to be a good teacher, Nicole found it difficult to concentrate. Waverly noticed that Nicole was struggling to hold a downward dog and got up from her own mat to help.

“Here, more like this,” she instructed, placing her hands on Nicole’s hips and pulling back a little.

Nicole jerked at the unexpected touch, and Waverly immediately removed her hands.

“Sorry. Is this okay?” she checked.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Nicole was glad that Waverly couldn’t see her face.

Waverly replaced her hands and manoeuvred Nicole until she was satisfied, then slid her hands down to her shoulders.

“You need to loosen these. You’re really tight,” Waverly observed, pulling gently until Nicole relaxed her shoulders as much as she could. She was finding it increasingly difficult to relax with Waverly in such close proximity, running gentle but strong hands over her body and speaking quietly near her ear.

When Waverly let her go, Nicole collapsed back onto her knees and lifted her head to see Waverly smiling at her.

“What have you been doing to get so tight?”

“Six weeks of manual labor, I guess,” Nicole shrugged.

“You need to do something about that, you’re going to hurt yourself. We’ll do this every day,” Waverly decided, and before Nicole could protest, she added, “don’t say you can’t. I’m making this one of your daily tasks.”

“Pretty sure this wasn’t in the job description,” Nicole grumbled, then laughed as Waverly gave her a playful push.

They parted soon afterwards, Nicole to resume her work and Waverly to prepare for the rest of the party arriving. As she worked, Nicole observed from a distance Waverly playing the perfect host. She welcomed all of her guests aboard and made sure they had anything they might need. She seemed to be at the heart of everything, in the middle of every conversation with a drink in hand and a winning smile on her face.

By the time they set sail for Dubrovnik in the early evening there was a real party atmosphere on board. Nicole was kept busy ferrying lavish platters of food to the main deck and refilling glasses whenever she was called upon.

Waverly’s guests were a boisterous crowd, all young and glamorous like their host, and too wrapped up in themselves and the party to pay any attention to the staff. That suited Nicole just fine. She was accustomed to fixing on a smile and getting on with her job, mind firmly fixed on the paycheck waiting at the end of it.

When they reached Dubrovnik, the crew stayed behind to clean up and to prepare for the return journey while the party headed into the city to explore. It seemed like no time before they returned, noisily looking for more drinks. They left the marina when everyone was accounted for but didn’t go far. A fireworks display was due to mark the opening of an arts festival and Waverly wanted to watch it from the water.

Nicole was restocking the bar when she heard the first bang and a moment later, Waverly appeared in front of her.

“It’s starting! Come and watch,” Waverly requested, genuine excitement shining on her face.

“I can’t, I’m working,” Nicole told her, as she indicated the bottles she was replacing.

“That can wait for ten minutes. We came to see the fireworks, you can’t miss them.” Waverly grabbed her hand and tugged until Nicole gave up and followed her onto the deck.

Waverly positioned her slightly away from everyone else and settled alongside at the rail. Nicole loved fireworks and the display was spectacular but her attention was focused more on the woman next to her. Waverly watched the fireworks with childlike delight and at one particularly loud bang, she clutched Nicole’s arm and didn’t let go.

When the air cleared after the finale Waverly looked up at Nicole and grinned. “I love fireworks.”

“I got that impression.” Nicole couldn’t help but laugh at Waverly’s unexpected excitement.

Just then, someone shouted for Waverly and she looked at Nicole with an apologetic smile. “Time to get back to the party.”

“And time for me to get back to work. Thanks for this though.”

“Thank you for coming to watch with me. It was really nice.” With a final smile, Waverly rejoined her friends and Nicole made her way back to the bar.

The party continued long after they returned to the marina, so Nicole wasn’t surprised to find the decks deserted in the morning. Apart from Waverly, that is, waiting for her with a yoga mat under each arm. The yacht was still quiet by the time they’d finished their practice and Waverly suggested they walk into town for a coffee. Nicole readily agreed as she hadn’t yet had a chance to explore, and Waverly was excited to play tour guide.

They wandered the sleepy streets of the small town, just coming to life at the start of the day, and Nicole could almost pretend that she was on vacation. Waverly was enthusiastic and chatty, and Nicole’s awkwardness gradually wore off.

Once they’d found a cafe and ordered coffees, Waverly took her sunglasses off and fixed her gaze on Nicole. “So, Nicole Haught, what’s your story?”

“My story? What do you mean?”

“I hardly know a thing about you. How did you end up doing this?”

Nicole had been employed by many people over the past few years and while most had been perfectly fine to work for, no-one had ever taken such an interest in her. She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it but saw no reason not to tell Waverly.

“Sort of by accident. I helped out some friends on their boat the summer before I started college. I picked up a few jobs from that, and I’ve been doing it every summer since.”

“Do you like it?”

“It can be hard work, but I get to travel a lot and see places I wouldn’t otherwise. There are worse summer jobs,” Nicole laughed.

“I think a summer without working sounds better,” replied Waverly.

“Yeah, well, we don’t all have that luxury,” Nicole said a little sharply, and Waverly looked contrite.

“Sorry, that was thoughtless.”

“It’s okay. I work all summer and everything goes towards college.” Nicole wasn’t embarrassed by her situation. It was a struggle at times, supporting herself with no help, but she only had one year to go and she was proud that she had managed it.

“What do you study?”

“I’m going to be a teacher. High school science,” Nicole told her with a smile.

“Really? Yeah, I can see that actually. So why science?”

“I’ve always wanted to. I had a couple of teachers who helped me more than they probably knew. I can’t think of much better than helping kids reach their potential.”

“You’re going to be one of those inspirational teachers that they make movies about, aren’t you?” Waverly laughed, but stopped as soon as she realised Nicole didn’t find it funny. “Sorry. Again. I can’t say anything right today,” she apologised.

Nicole knew that Waverly was only trying to make a joke but she couldn’t help but feel like she was making fun of her.

“Really, I meant no offence. I think it’s really admirable. And now I sound patronising. Maybe I should just stop talking?”

“You could try that, yeah,” Nicole replied, a reluctant smile tugging at her mouth. Waverly grinned back at her, and suddenly it was okay again.

On the way back to the yacht, Waverly invited Nicole to join her party on a cycle tour the following day.

“Thanks for the invite, but there’s lots to be done before we leave here.”

“It’s only a couple of hours. You should be having fun, not working all the time,” Waverly tried to persuade her.

“I feel like I should remind you that you’re actually _paying me_ to work all the time,” Nicole laughed.

“Then I’ll pay you to come along and carry my bag. It’ll be fun, it ends up at a winery.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure it is my idea of fun. I don’t think I’ll fit in with your friends somehow.”

Nicole saw a fleeting look cross Waverly’s face before she adopted a pleading expression. “You’ll be fine. Please?”

Nicole knew she was going to cave. She still didn’t know why Waverly was showing such an interest in her, but she couldn’t deny that she wanted to spend more time with her too.

“Okay, I’ll come. I’ll even carry your bag. The rest of the crew are going to think I’m getting preferential treatment though.”

“Oh, you are,” Waverly smiled up at her.

A few guests had surfaced by the time they arrived back and one of them, a beefy, tattooed young man that Nicole thought she recognized as an actor, called, “Hey Red! Any chance of a drink here?”

Nicole looked up in surprise and was about to answer when Waverly stepped in front of her.

“Don’t be so rude, Champ,” she scolded, “Nicole isn’t here to serve you.”

“She kind of is though. She was doing it yesterday,” he responded, looking genuinely puzzled.

“It’s okay. What can I get for everyone?”

Nicole collected orders and headed to the kitchen, avoiding Waverly’s eye. She knew she had to be careful about blurring the lines between a good working relationship and anything more. It had never been a problem for her before but as she was discovering every moment they spent together, Waverly was very different.

The next morning saw Nicole, against her better judgment, join Waverly and her friends in a minivan heading into the Croatian countryside. She was already feeling anxious about how the day would go; she’d noticed the curious looks from the rest of the party as she’d followed Waverly into the vehicle, and she already knew from the conversations going on around her that she shared no common ground with these people. She contented herself watching the scenery pass by outside the window until they pulled up outside a garage on the edge of a small village.

Once they’d all been equipped with a bicycle and a helmet they had a short safety briefing from their guide, and then they set off. Nicole was keen to hear what the guide had to say so she stayed near the front, and soon Waverly was cycling next to her.

“Isn’t this great? I haven’t been on a bike in years,” Waverly said enthusiastically.

“Really? I cycle everywhere at home. This is a lot nicer though.”

“It’s so beautiful. I’d forgotten how much I loved my bike when I was a kid. I think I spent all my summers just riding around. My sister would take me out when our dad… well, when we didn’t have anything else to do.”

“Me too. We’d take off in the morning and be gone all day. There was nothing like that feeling of freedom,” Nicole reminisced.

“Exactly. Is it still the same as an adult?” asked Waverly.

“Not really, not when you’re cycling to actually get somewhere. Maybe we should take the time to do it just for the sake of it.”

“I’d love that. Just riding around, no worries, nowhere to be, no-one trying to get a minute of your time,” Waverly said wistfully.

Nicole was so immersed in the beauty of the scenery around her and the easy conversation she’d fallen into with Waverly that by the time they stopped for lunch, she’d almost forgotten her earlier worries.

To reach their lunch spot they had to cross a shallow stretch of crystal clear water so Nicole kicked off her sneakers, stuffed them in her bag and waded across pushing her bike. The water felt deliciously cool and refreshing in the heat of the early afternoon, and Nicole turned to call on Waverly to join her. She did so just in time to see Champ sweep Waverly up into his arms and stride through the water with her, setting her down on the other side with an exaggerated bow.

Nicole felt a tightness in her chest at the sight of Waverly laughing in Champ’s arms and turned away, silently chastising herself for feeling jealous. Of course Waverly would be more interested in someone like Champ, someone from her world. She was just being nice to Nicole.

She sat slightly apart from everyone during lunch, under the pretence of asking their guide more questions, but her eyes and her thoughts kept drifting to Waverly. Nicole continued to keep her distance on the ride back but this time she barely noticed anything apart from the road ahead.

When they returned their bikes and were shown into the cool, dim interior of the winery for a wine tasting, Nicole refused the glasses set in front of her. The convenient excuse was that she had to work for the rest of the day when they returned to the yacht, but in reality she felt more out of place than ever. She excused herself from the group, not that any of them paid much attention, and puttered around outside enjoying the peace until the van arrived to collect them.

Nicole took a seat at the front and waited for everyone else. Waverly climbed in last and after checking that everyone was accounted for, she dropped into the seat next to Nicole.

“That was so much fun. Did you have fun?” Waverly asked cheerily.

“Yeah, it was nice. Beautiful scenery.” Nicole managed a smile.

“And the wine was surprisingly really good. I bought two cases to bring back to the yacht,” laughed Waverly. When she received no response from Nicole, she turned in her seat to look at her and ask softly, “Everything okay? You’re very quiet.”

“I’m fine, just a little tired,” Nicole reassured her.

“Yeah, me too. Close your eyes, I’ll wake you when we get back.”

Nicole did as Waverly suggested, thinking that at least it would spare her from any further awkward conversation. A few moments later she felt a warm body shift against her and opened her eyes to see Waverly leaning into her side, eyes closed and lips slightly parted. Nicole thought, _how had she managed to fall asleep so quickly? And how did she manage to look so good doing it?_

Nicole felt wide awake but kept her eyes shut for the rest of the journey. It was the only way she could resist staring at Waverly.

When they arrived back, Nicole busied herself with any jobs that needed to be done and managed to avoid Waverly and her guests until they went out for the evening. Nicole ate with the rest of the crew and cleared up afterwards too, keen to make amends for her absence earlier. She declined the offer of a trip ashore and instead found a spot on the upper deck near the bow to sit quietly by herself and watch the sun begin to set.

She felt calmer than she had all day, although she couldn’t rid her mind of thoughts of Waverly altogether. No matter how often she told herself that any interest she had in Waverly was fruitless, would never be reciprocated, was at the very least unprofessional, she just couldn’t help it. She replayed all of her interactions with Waverly; had she given any indication that she was interested? Judging by how friendly she seemed to be to everyone, not really.

Nicole was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear footsteps approaching until they were almost right behind her. She glanced up to find Waverly, a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other.

“Hey,” Waverly greeted her.

“Hey. I thought you’d gone ashore?”

“I didn’t feel like it tonight. Can l join you?”

Nicole shifted over to make room and Waverly carefully sat down, cross legged and facing Nicole.

“Sorry for disturbing you but I thought you might like to try this, since you didn’t get to earlier?” Waverly held up the bottle.

“Um, okay. I’m not much of a wine drinker, but I’ll try it.” Nicole knew it was probably not wise to be drinking with Waverly, but at that moment she couldn’t think of an excuse not to. She accepted the generous glass that Waverly passed to her and after they’d tapped their glasses together, she took a cautious sip.

“What do you think?” asked Waverly.

“I don’t know anything about wine, but I like this, it’s nice,” Nicole told her.

Waverly launched into an explanation about grape varieties and wine production, and although the subject didn’t hold much interest for Nicole, she decided that she could listen to Waverly talk about anything. Especially when she was smiling, and gesturing with her hands, and the light was reflecting just so...

Nicole didn’t realise that Waverly had stopped talking until she saw the expectant look on her face. Nicole offered a weak smile and Waverly laughed.

“Am I boring you?”

“Not at all. I guess you’re a big wine buff?”

“Not really, I just love learning about things,” she shrugged.

“What kind of things?” Nicole asked.

“Anything that takes my interest really. I love languages, I try to learn something everywhere I go. History too, it’s fascinating.” Waverly grew more animated as she spoke.

“Do you have much time for that kind of thing?” Nicole had wondered how Waverly spent most of her time, whether this was a vacation or the norm for her.

“Between lounging about on luxury yachts and practising yoga, you mean?” Waverly’s tone was light, but Nicole thought she had touched a nerve.

“Just curious, that’s all. You’re not the only one that likes learning,” Nicole explained, and Waverly relaxed again.

“So what else do you like? What are your favourite things to do?” Waverly wanted to know.

“Well, travelling, as you know. I like climbing, running, sailing, outdoorsy things. I love movies. I kinda like yoga too,” Nicole smiled.

“That is the correct answer. What kind of movies?”

“Don’t laugh, but old musicals are my favourite,” Nicole admitted a little sheepishly.

“I would never have pegged you as a musicals fan,” Waverly chuckled.

“Hey, I said _don’t laugh_. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents as a kid and we watched them together.”

“That’s sweet. I would never laugh because I love them too, I grew up watching them. ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ never fails to make me feel better. What’s your favourite?”

“It’s a tough choice, but ‘Calamity Jane’. I think I know every word.”

They continued to chat easily as they drank and before they knew it, they had finished the bottle. Waverly fetched another despite Nicole’s half hearted protests, and towards the end of that bottle, Waverly turned fully towards Nicole and asked, “What happened today?”

“What do you mean?”

“With you. You were enjoying yourself then you changed, you kept yourself apart and you barely spoke the rest of the day.”

Despite feeling the effects of the wine, Nicole knew she couldn’t admit that she hadn’t wanted to see Waverly and Champ together. She searched for another excuse and finally replied, truthfully, “I just started to feel really out of place. I could tell all of your friends were wondering why I was there, and I was too.”

“You were there because I wanted you to be there. And don’t write them all off, you’ve probably got more in common with them than you think,” Waverly protested.

“A bunch of rich kids with nothing to do but party? Yeah, I’m sure I’d fit right in.” Nicole punctuated her response with an eye roll.

Waverly stared at her, wounded. “Is that what you think of me too?”

“What? No, Waverly, I didn’t mean... You’re not...” Nicole floundered. It had been easy to forget just who Waverly was when they were bonding over old movies and silly childhood memories.

“Not what? A rich kid? I’ve got more money than all of them put together. Partying all the time? What else have you seen me do?” Waverly challenged.

“You’re not like the rest of them.” Nicole attempted to placate her but from the anger that flashed in Waverly’s eyes, she was unsuccessful.

“You can’t say that when you don’t even know them. At least they understand what my life is like.”

“As an outsider, it doesn’t look too bad to me,” Nicole shot back.

“Oh yeah, it’s great when your life is news, you have no privacy and everyone around you is only interested in money.” Waverly’s tone had taken on a bitter edge.

“Why surround yourself with these people then? Doesn’t that just attract more attention?” Nicole was genuinely curious.

“It’s hard to have a normal life when this is all I’ve known since I was sixteen. At least I know they’re not just after money. And I can hide amongst them.”

In response to Nicole’s questioning look, Waverly said with a wry smile, “I know, poor little rich girl, right? Biggest cliche going.”

“I’m sure you could find a few people willing to switch places with you.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that. And I don’t need your judgement either.” With that, Waverly stood up and swept away, leaving Nicole to wonder what had just happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Waverly and Nicole take a trip to the beach...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to LuckyWantsToKnow for taking the time and having the patience to sort out this extra long chapter!

Waverly didn’t appear for their yoga session the following morning. Nicole didn’t expect her to, but that didn’t stop her looking up every time she heard footsteps. There was no sign of her either when everyone sat down to a late breakfast, and by the time Nicole had finished with the clear up, the party had left with Marin for a day at the beach.

Nicole was grateful that she had a long list of jobs to complete so she could distract herself from thoughts of Waverly and what happened the night before. She worked her way through the guest cabins, shaking her head at the mess she found in some of them, stripping and replacing sheets. She bypassed the master suite, feeling it would be an invasion of Waverly’s privacy, and opened the door of the cabin next door instead.

Nicole stopped short when she saw Waverly behind the large desk, laptop open and papers strewn across the surface in front of her. She looked up at the interruption, a pair of glasses perched on her nose and pen between her teeth.

“Oh! Sorry. I didn’t realise you were in here. I was just cleaning, but I’ll come back,” Nicole apologized. Waverly just nodded and dropped her gaze back to the papers on her desk.

Nicole turned to leave but before the door closed behind her, she heard Waverly call, “Nicole. Wait.”

She turned back and Waverly said, “Close the door.” She did as instructed and took a tentative step towards the desk. Waverly took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes as she heaved a deep sigh.

“Everything okay?” Nicole ventured when Waverly showed no sign of breaking the silence.

“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry about last night, for storming off like that.”

“I’m sorry I upset you. I didn’t mean to be so judgemental.”

Waverly sighed again and indicated that Nicole should take a seat opposite her. “I understand that you maybe didn’t mean to be, but you were. I might have overreacted though.”

Nicole had passed a restless night thinking about Waverly’s accusation, and come to the uncomfortable realization that she _had_ been judgemental. “You’re right. I was judging your friends. I don’t know anything about them, and that was unfair,” Nicole admitted.

“And me?”

“I meant it when I said you were different. I mean, I don’t really know you either but you’ve been nothing but nice to me. The yoga, inviting me along on the trip, actually taking an interest. No-one else I’ve worked for has ever done that, and I really am sorry,” Nicole said sincerely.

Waverly gazed at Nicole in silence for a moment before she spoke up. “Okay. I’m not totally oblivious, I know what my life looks like to everyone. Usually, I couldn’t care less if people think I just party and throw money around. I guess you touched a nerve.”

“If that’s how you want to spend your time and your money, that’s not for anyone else to judge.”

“Oh, but they do. When you find yourself in the public eye, everyone has an opinion. And I know I don’t shy away from the attention, but I never asked for this either. I was sixteen when all of this started and I wasn’t prepared for any of it.”

“Would you handle it differently now?” Nicole asked.

“Maybe? I don’t know. It might be different in my twenties with a little more life experience, but when you’re a kid from a small town who just wants to escape, it’s hard to resist when suddenly you have all this money and attention,” Waverly explained.

Nicole listened attentively. It seemed that Waverly needed to unburden herself, and Nicole wanted to know more about her. All she really knew was from the media, and from what she’d allowed her to see in the last few days. And that she was surprisingly sweet, and kind, and charming...

Waverly elaborated on her story, filling Nicole in on how she, along with a friend who was something of a tech genius, had developed a handful of apps that became hugely popular. Nicole knew of most of them and even used a few regularly, but couldn’t fathom how that had led to such wealth.

“So an app made you a billionaire?” she asked incredulously.

“Not one app, a portfolio of them, and not just the apps. Those did make us millions, but good investment in the last couple of years is where most of it came from.”

“And what about your friend?”

“Jeremy? He set up his own company with his first million and I’m sure he’s now worth more than me. I invested in it too and it’s really paid off. He managed not to have his head turned by the celebrity side though,” Waverly smiled ruefully.

Nicole thought for a moment then spoke up, “Well, now I feel worse about being judgemental. You built this by yourself and everything you have is earned.”

“Not all by myself, but yeah, it wasn’t just handed to us. I’ve been looking for something else, something more, recently though, hence all of this.” Waverly indicated the laptop and the papers around her.

“Are you working on something new?” Nicole asked.

“Sort of. This isn’t about making money though, it’s about spending it.” In response to Nicole’s raised eyebrows, Waverly went on, “I’m setting up a charitable foundation. These are all ideas for what to focus on, and I just can’t choose.”

“Hey, that’s great. Have you narrowed it down at all?”

“Not really. Do you want to help me look through them?” Waverly asked hopefully.

Nicole was surprised and pleased that Waverly would even think about asking for her help, and she smiled across the desk at her.

“I don’t know how much help I’d be, but I’d like to,” she told her, then remembered that she still had work to do. “Oh, but I haven’t finished working yet, I’ve still got some cabins to do. I didn’t realise I’d been in here for so long.”

“I didn’t mean to keep you, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Thank you for talking to me about everything.”

“Thanks for listening. I think I’ll take a break too.” Waverly hesitated, then added in a rush, “I could get us some lunch then when you’ve finished working we could take a look at this?”

“Uh, sure, if you want me to help I will.”

“Great. Okay, I’ll see about lunch, just come and find me when you’ve finished.”

Nicole left Waverly in her office and moved quickly through the rest of the cabins, keen to get back to her. She took about an hour to tick off the rest of the jobs on her list, knowing she would have more to do later when the rest of the group returned.

She made her way back to Waverly’s office where she found plates of food and a pitcher of juice set on a side table. As they ate, Nicole tried to help Waverly focus on what she wanted her foundation to fund by asking what was most important to her.

“Something environmental, I think. I’ve been reading a lot about climate change and what we need to do. I want to save the planet, basically,” she laughed.

“A noble goal. So we’re concentrating on environmental issues?”

“Yes. Or, maybe education? Funding scholarships? It’s so hard to choose, they’re all so worthy.”

Nicole couldn’t help but laugh at the whine in Waverly’s voice. “Just give away all of your money to all of them, then.”

Waverly fixed her with a glare. “Not helpful, Nicole.”

Over the course of the afternoon, as they sifted through the ideas and proposals, Nicole learned more about Waverly. She learned that she was soft-hearted, finding it difficult to rule out any worthy cause. She also learned that she was stubborn and almost impossible to move once she’d made up her mind. As for herself, Nicole learned that she very much liked spending time with, and working alongside, Waverly.

By the time they’d finished, they had narrowed it down to one pile mostly relating to environmental or educational charities.

“Wow, that was a productive afternoon. Thank you for helping, I’d still be agonizing over them all if you hadn’t,” Waverly said as she stood from her chair and stretched.

“No problem, I enjoyed it. Whichever one you go with now will be a great choice.”

The sound of voices up on deck drifted down to the cabin, and Waverly sighed, “Sounds like everyone is back. I should probably show face.”

“And I have some more work to do for the party tonight.”

“It might be a big one, everyone is leaving tomorrow so it’s sort of a farewell party.” Waverly hardly seemed thrilled at the prospect.

“I’ll bear that in mind. Will it just be you for the rest of the trip?”

“No, some others are coming the day after next, before we sail on. Maybe we could do something tomorrow after everyone has left?”

“I’d like that.”

They left the office together and before they went their separate ways, Waverly pulled Nicole into a quick hug, whispered, “Thank you,” in her ear, and hurried off.

Waverly’s prediction that the party would be big proved correct. With the guests leaving in the morning, everyone seemed set on celebrating hard, and Nicole was kept busy serving drinks and collecting glasses. She tried to keep her earlier conversation with Waverly in mind, but it became more difficult as the evening progressed and the alcohol flowed.

She had spent enough time working at parties and behind bars to know how to deal with drunks, but she was taken by surprise when someone grabbed her elbow as she walked past. She steadied the tray she was carrying and looked round to see Champ leering drunkenly at her.

“Wanna hurry up with those drinks?”

“I’ll be back with more in a minute,” she told him, but he didn’t let go of her arm.

The woman next to him spoke up, “She can’t go anywhere if you don’t let go of her. Leave her alone, Champ.”

“It’s fine Chrissy, I’m just being friendly to the staff. Right, Red?”

“I’ve got work to do. I’ll be back with those drinks.” Nicole tried to pull away from his grip but he held on until she looked at him and said steadily, “Take your hand off of me.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender but the suddenness of the movement jolted the tray in Nicole’s hands. She managed to right it before there was too much damage but a couple of bottles fell to the deck.

“Oops, careful,” Champ smirked, as Nicole glared at him. She was aware of several pairs of eyes on them as she bent to pick up the bottles and load them back onto the tray, and her face burned as she walked back to the kitchen.

A few crew members were bustling around cleaning glasses and restocking bottles, and one of the guys happily switched with her to serve drinks while she took over the dishwashing duties. She felt herself relax and the tension start to leave her as she concentrated on the simple tasks, and soon she was more annoyed at herself for allowing someone like Champ to bother her. She’d come up against enough of them to know that they weren’t worth her time.

The sound of raised voices drifted down to the galley, followed a few moments later by the other two servers, talking in hushed tones. Nicole made a point of never indulging in any gossip when she was working, but she couldn’t resist asking, “What’s going on up there?”

“Just Waverly Earp threatening to kick Champ Hardy off the boat, that’s all.”

“Yeah? What was that about?” Nicole tried not to appear too interested.

“Dunno, but she really ripped him a new one. I think the party’s over.”

Nicole continued to clear up in the kitchen, lost in thought. _Could Waverly’s outburst against Champ have been about her?_ No, he’d probably done something to offend Waverly herself.

When she ventured up on deck, she found it deserted apart from staff cleaning up. She grabbed a bag and joined in, working with the others in an awkward silence.

Nicole was heading to her cabin later when she heard a voice calling her name, and she turned to see Waverly heading towards her.

“Hey,” she greeted her quietly.

“I heard what Champ did. Are you okay?” Waverly asked immediately.

“I’m fine, it was nothing. Thanks for checking though,” Nicole reassured her.

“It wasn’t nothing, he had no right to do that to you. And he knows that now. If he wasn’t leaving tomorrow anyway I’d have kicked him out.”

The anger was still clear on Waverly’s face. _So the fight was about me_ , Nicole thought. The idea of Waverly standing up for her in front of everyone brought a warmth to her cheeks.

“Thank you for doing that. It means a lot. And sorry it all caused a scene.”

“What are you sorry for? It was all him,” Waverly said indignantly.

“Didn’t it bring an end to the party?”

“I don’t care about that. In fact, I can’t wait until they’ve all gone,” Waverly admitted with a sigh.

Nicole took a step closer and reached out to touch her lightly on the arm.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Tired. I’m glad that you’re okay.” Waverly took a step further into Nicole’s space and after a slight hesitation, slid an arm around her waist. Nicole reciprocated by pulling her into a gentle hug, sensing that she was seeking some comfort. They stood quietly for a moment, Nicole trying, and failing, not to think about how it felt to hold Waverly in her arms.

Waverly was the first to pull away, and she looked up at Nicole with a soft smile. “Thank you. See you in the morning for yoga?”

“Sure. Goodnight, Waverly.” Nicole watched her walk off before she entered her cabin and closed the door behind her, leaned her forehead against it and whispered, “What are you doing?”

Nicole was pleased to see that Waverly seemed back to her normal self in the morning, cheerful and talkative as they went through their yoga practice. As they were rolling up their mats, Waverly said, “I spoke to Marin earlier and he can spare you for the day, so we’re going somewhere.”

“We are? Where?”

“Marin suggested Lokrum. Have you been there?”

“No, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.”

“That’s what he said, lots to see and a beach too. You can sail, right?” Waverly asked.

“Sure. I guess I’m sailing us there then?” Nicole smiled at Waverly’s plan.

“Marin is chartering a boat for us, and he’ll show you how to get there. We can go when everyone else has left.”

“Do I get a say in this plan?” Nicole teased.

“Oh! Sorry, that was really presumptuous. We don’t have to, or you don’t have to, we could-”

Nicole cut in, “Waverly, I’m kidding. It sounds like a great plan.”

Waverly gave her a playful push and laughed, “For that, I might just forget to pack lunch for you.”

A couple of hours later they were aboard their small charter boat and Nicole was familiarising herself with the controls. Waverly stowed the cooler and the bag of beach supplies before joining Nicole as she carried out some checks. She watched closely as Nicole slowly manoeuvred away from the dock and the much larger yachts alongside, then turned to head out of the bay. Nicole recognised the route from her initial trip from Dubrovnik with Marin, and she followed the coast for half an hour.

She glanced to the side where Waverly had taken a seat, sunglasses on and breeze whipping through her long hair. As if feeling Nicole’s gaze on her, she turned to look at her and her face broke out in a sunny grin. Nicole felt her heart skip as she smiled back, and she had to force her attention back to the water in front of her.

When the ancient walls of Dubrovnik came into view, they changed course, heading for the lush, green tree-covered island rising from the sea less than a kilometre from the city. Waverly stood next to Nicole to help direct her into the small dock where several boats were already moored.

When they were close enough, Nicole cut the engine, grabbed the mooring line and hopped up onto the dock. She finished tying the line to a bollard and checked that it was secure, then looked up to find Waverly gazing at her.

“You, uh, you look like you’ve done that a lot,” Waverly remarked.

“Once or twice, yeah,” Nicole grinned back. She took the bag and the cooler that Waverly passed up to her, placed them on the dock and then offered Waverly her hand. She grasped it and stepped up onto the dock next to Nicole, squeezing her hand before letting go.

“So, where first?” asked Nicole.

“Explore a little, have lunch, then an afternoon on the beach?” Waverly suggested.

They headed inland, Nicole carrying both the rucksack and the cooler, and passed through the grounds of an old Benedictine monastery where peacocks strutted around. Waverly inched closer to one to take a photo, then jumped back in fright as he rose up taller and spread his tail feathers.

She turned sheepishly to find Nicole smirking at her and said, “Don’t.”

“What? I was just going to say that it’s nice to make friends with the local wildlife.”

They followed a path through an avenue of tall trees and started to climb to the highest point of the island, the trees providing just enough shade from the hot sun. The island was popular with tourists but they didn’t pass another person, and when they reached the circular fort at the summit, they found it deserted too.

“Looks like everyone else had more sense than to climb all the way up here in this heat,” Nicole grumbled, pulling at her tank top where it was stuck to her skin.

“I thought you were supposed to be the outdoorsy, trekking type? Isn’t this what you do?” Waverly teased.

“Not when it’s hot like this, and not lugging one of these,” Nicole retorted, raising the cooler.

“I did offer to carry it. We’ll eat lunch up here then at least it’ll be lighter. And I’ll carry it back.”

“When there’s nothing in it and we’re going downhill,” muttered Nicole, to which Waverly replied with a sweet smile.

They climbed up and inside the fort to explore, and Waverly told Nicole how it had been built during Napoleon’s occupation of the island.

“So you really do know something about everything?” Nicole asked.

“Well, I’m smart. Also, I read it online on the way here,” laughed Waverly.

They found a shaded spot under a tree to eat lunch, and by the time they finished, Waverly was desperate to get to the beach. After dropping the cooler off back at the boat, they set off in search of the beach and after following signs for ten minutes, came to a secluded path.

“I guess this is it?” Nicole said, as she eyed the Croatian writing on the sign next to the path.

“Must be, all the signs pointed to here. Come on,” Waverly prompted as she set off through the trees.

A moment later they emerged on a terrace of rocky platforms, dotted here and there with couples or groups of sunbathers, leading down to a strip of white sand and some of the bluest water Nicole had ever seen.

Waverly clapped her hands in delight. “This is perfect! This is what I’ve been looking forward to.”

She chose a quiet spot and Nicole started to unpack the bag as Waverly unrolled their beach mats. When she had everything set up the way she wanted, she kicked off her sandals and pulled her dress over her head in one smooth movement to reveal a white bikini underneath. Nicole was completely unprepared and looked away immediately, lest she be caught staring at the sheer amount of toned, tanned skin on display.

Still turned away from Waverly, Nicole quickly stripped down to her own bikini, less revealing than Waverly’s, and neatly folded her shorts and tank top. She grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from the bag and began to apply it everywhere she could reach. She dropped down on the mat and studiously ignored the woman next to her, casting her eye over the beach instead. As she looked around at everyone else, she gradually began to notice something they all had in common.

“Um, Waverly?” she began, finally turning to face her.

“Yeah?” Waverly looked up from applying sunscreen to her legs.

“Why is everyone else naked?”

“What? No they’re not...” she trailed off as she glanced around. “Oh. Okay, they are. Naturist beach?” she shrugged, surprisingly unfazed by the new development.

“Oh, you think so? We can’t stay here!”

“Sure we can. Although we do stand out in these suits.”

“Well I’ll just stand out then because there’s no way this is coming off,” Nicole said vehemently.

“Fine. You’re going to be the only one though,” Waverly told her as she reached back to undo her top.

“Waverly! You’re not... getting naked, are you?” Nicole didn’t think she could cope; the bikini was bad enough.

“Why not? No-one cares, no-one knows us,” she reasoned.

“They might know you! What if someone recognises you?”

“They won’t. I don’t usually walk around naked in public.”

Waverly had discarded her bikini top and and lay back to wiggle her way out of the bottoms. Nicole wrapped her arms around her bent legs and rested her forehead on her knees, no idea where to look. She was sure her face was the same colour as her hair. How had a trip to the beach turned into the woman she was crushing on lying naked next to her?

“Nicole?” Waverly’s voice broke into her thoughts. She chanced a look in her direction and was slightly relieved to see that she had turned to lie on her stomach.

“Can you put sunscreen on my back please?”

Nicole almost groaned aloud. She was actually trying to kill her. She took the proffered bottle and hovered next to Waverly, hesitant to touch her. She poured the lotion into her hands and began to smooth it across Waverly’s back and shoulders, careful to just skim her sides and to stop at her waist. She hoped that Waverly couldn’t tell that her hands were trembling as she ran them over her sun-warmed skin. Waverly let out a contented hum then cleared her throat.

“Thank you. Do you want me to do you? Your back, I mean?” she quickly corrected.

“No thanks, I got it,” she said hastily.

“Sure? I bet you burn easily.”

“Not that easily, and I’ve got plenty on.”

“Okay. But if you start going pink I’m doing it.”

Nicole could feel just how pink her face already was, with nothing to do with the sun. She lay down on her back, figuring that the safest place to look was up at the sky. Waverly seemed content to lie in silence soaking up the sun, so Nicole closed her eyes behind her sunglasses and tried to relax. She had never been much for lying on the beach and with the situation she found herself in, she felt more restless than ever.

After fifteen minutes, she couldn’t stand it any longer and turned to Waverly. “I’m too hot. Gonna go in the water to cool down.”

Waverly lifted her head and said, “Sounds great, I’ll come too.”

Nicole was tempted to hurry ahead to the water but instead she waited until Waverly had stood up and she let her walk slightly in front. Nicole kept her eyes fixed firmly on the water but she marvelled at Waverly’s confidence, strolling across the sand without a care in the world.

As soon as they were waist deep in the sea, Nicole ducked under and swam further out, enjoying the refreshing coolness of the water. When she turned underwater, she was greeted with the sight of Waverly’s gloriously naked body just in front of her.

She shot to the surface, coughing and pushing her wet hair back from her face. Waverly looked at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, just swallowed a little water,” she gasped out.

Waverly waited until Nicole had caught her breath before she asked innocently, “Was that because you were peeking?”

“What? No! I didn’t mean...” Nicole floundered.

“Nicole, I’ve been naked for the last half hour, it’s fine.”

“But I wasn’t trying to...”

“I know, you’ve been looking everywhere but at me. But I don’t mind,” Waverly assured her.

Nicole took a deep steadying breath, and said, “Okay. I just didn’t expect to end up here, this whole thing kinda took me by surprise.”

“I get that, being naked in public? Definitely not everyone’s thing. Being in the water feels great though.”

“I know, I have done that before,” Nicole admitted.

“Skinny dipping?” Waverly asked, and when Nicole nodded, she continued, “Well well, you surprise me.”

“Hey, it’s not like I’m a prude, you know,” Nicole protested, and Waverly held up her hands.

“I didn’t say you were. I just didn’t expect that of you.”

Before she could overthink it, Nicole ducked back underwater and quickly unhooked her top, pulling it down her arms. She resurfaced and, holding Waverly’s gaze, dangled the top from her outstretched hand. “How about now?”

Waverly’s jaw dropped and her cheeks began to tint. “You just... I can’t believe... wow,” she stuttered.

Nicole laughed at Waverly’s flustered state. It seemed like she held a little of the same power over Waverly. Without saying anything else, Nicole began to swim back to shore and it was only when the water got too shallow that she realised she’d have to walk back to their spot topless. She took a deep breath and stood up to walk out of the water, forcing herself not to hurry as she crossed the hot sand. Just before she reached their mats, she glanced back over her shoulder to see Waverly following her, eyes trained on her back. Nicole allowed herself a smug smile as she lowered herself to the mat and stretched out on her stomach.

They stayed for another hour, Nicole gradually relaxing as she realised that no-one was paying them any attention. She even managed to sit up and hold a conversation with Waverly, trying not to notice the way that her eyes occasionally flickered down towards her chest. Despite that, Nicole still felt a little relieved to slip back into her clothes to make the trek back to the boat.

Ten minutes into their journey back to Cavtat, Nicole realised that Waverly was very quiet, and glancing back, saw that she’d fallen asleep on the bench seat. She didn’t wake until they hit some choppy water at the entrance to the bay. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, and asked, “Are we back already?”

“Almost. Thanks for the excellent company,” Nicole teased.

“Sorry, it must be the sea air,” she yawned, “and I’m starving now. I’ll take you for dinner to make up for it.”

“I was kidding, you don’t have to.”

“I know, but I’d like to. There’s a restaurant I wanted to go back to before we leave.”

“Okay then, that would be nice,” Nicole agreed.

While Nicole was showering before their dinner ( _not a date_ , she reminded herself), she felt a stinging pain across her upper back, and when she checked in the mirror, she saw she had an angry-looking sunburn. She soothed it with lotion as best she could before dressing again in denim shorts and a loose white blouse, hoping it wouldn’t irritate the burn.

Nicole was on deck waiting when Waverly emerged wearing a white sundress, her hair long and loose over her shoulders. Yep, definitely trying to kill me, Nicole thought.

“You look nice,” she managed.

“Thank you, so do you. Recognise the dress?” Waverly did a quick twirl.

“Oh, is that the one...?”

“Yep. Seemed a shame not to wear it when you went to so much trouble to fix it,” she grinned.

They chatted easily through their meal, their conversation light and full of laughter, and Nicole forgot about everything but the smiling woman opposite her. When she’d finished her meal, she put down her cutlery and leaned back in her chair, smiling in satisfaction. She immediately shot forward again when her tender skin came into contact with the hard seat back. She bit back a gasp but Waverly immediately noticed.

“Nicole? Are you okay?”

“Ah, yeah, fine. My back is just a bit sore.” Nicole tried to play it off.

“What’s wrong with it? Did you hurt it today?” Waverly’s brow furrowed in concern.

“Um, I may have a little sunburn,” Nicole admitted sheepishly.

“Nicole! You should have let me help you,” Waverly scolded.

“I thought I had it. It’s fine, it’s not bad anyway.”

At Waverly’s suggestion, they went for a stroll after dinner, enjoying the warm evening air as they wandered the cobbled streets. Nicole didn’t notice that Waverly had dropped back a little until she heard her say, “You said your sunburn wasn’t bad but I can see it through your shirt.”

Nicole instinctively reached over her shoulder to try to cover it, and she could feel the heat radiating from the area.

“I didn’t think it was. I’ll put cream on when we get back.”

“I’ve got some aloe gel, that’ll help. And I’ll put it on for you,” Waverly told her.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to, I can manage.”

“Nicole, that’s how you got burned in the first place. Stop being a baby and let me help you.”

“Fine,” Nicole huffed, but she couldn’t stop a small smile peeking through.

When they returned to the yacht, Waverly led Nicole to her suite and left her sitting on the bed while she looked for the gel. Nicole felt the bed dip as Waverly knelt behind her, and she plucked at the hem of Nicole’s top.

“Can you take this off?” Waverly asked in a low voice. Nicole was grateful that Waverly couldn’t see her face as she struggled to control her expression. She pulled her shirt over her head and held it to her chest as Waverly inhaled sharply.

“This looks painful, Nicole. Does it hurt?” She traced her fingers gently over her back as she spoke.

“It’s hot and itchy, but it doesn’t really hurt.”

They were silent as Waverly gently rubbed in the cooling gel, careful not to hurt Nicole. Her hands eventually stilled, one moving to the nape of her neck as the other fell away. Nicole learned back into the touch as her thumb rubbed soft circles on her skin, and she felt as well as heard Waverly exhale shakily.

She turned slightly to find Waverly staring at her, eyes dark. Her hand slid round from her neck to cup her jaw, and Nicole saw her gaze drop to her lips. Every ounce of reason she possessed was telling her this was a bad idea, to draw away, to leave the room, but she was powerless against the pull she felt to this woman. Waverly raised her eyes to meet hers, silently asking the question, and without hesitation, Nicole nodded.

Waverly instantly closed the gap between them and drew Nicole into a kiss that started slow and sweet, but quickly grew into something more, something almost overwhelming. They were both breathing heavily when they broke apart, foreheads touching, unwilling to relinquish contact just yet. Nicole’s thoughts were racing as fast as her heart, but one was crystal clear: _I am in so much trouble_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beach on Lokrum is real, and I definitely don’t know that because I accidentally ended up there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly need to have a talk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again to LuckyWantsToKnow for sorting out all those stray commas, amongst other things

Nicole felt like she had hardly slept when, after tossing and turning all night, she dragged herself out of bed at 6am. Her mind was full of the woman that she had only just managed to tear herself away from. As hard as she’d tried to convince herself otherwise, kissing Waverly only served to prove to Nicole that she was falling for her. Had already fallen for her, if she was being completely honest. 

 

She’d spent half the night running through all of the reasons why it was a terrible idea: Waverly was technically her boss; they only had another week together; they were from different worlds. Waverly was a billionaire and she was a broke college student. The other half of the night had been spent thinking about what it felt like to kiss Waverly. 

 

The result was thoroughly confusing, and Nicole struggled to concentrate on her usual morning jobs. She was nervously anticipating her first encounter with Waverly, and tensed every time she heard footsteps. They had parted without saying much. Or rather, Nicole had come to her senses, mumbled an apology, and bolted. 

 

It was a busy morning with the arrival of another group of Waverly’s friends, and the crew preparing to finally depart from Cavtat. There was no time for yoga, for which Nicole was simultaneously disappointed and relieved. 

 

When Nicole heard a commotion up on deck, she knew that Waverly’s friends had arrived. She could hear Waverly’s voice above everyone else’s, and she took a deep breath before heading up to the main deck to find out if she was needed. There was only time to exchange the briefest of glances with Waverly before she was put to work, carrying luggage and showing guests to their cabins. 

 

While everyone was settling in, Nicole was directed to the kitchen to help unpack the food and drink that had been brought aboard. She was transferring vegetables into the refrigerator when a voice from behind her said, “Can you help me for a second, Nicole?” 

 

She straightened up and turned to find Waverly in the middle of the kitchen. “Uh, yeah, sure. What do you need?” 

 

“Come with me.” Without waiting for an answer, Waverly turned and left, and with an apology to the kitchen staff, Nicole followed. Waverly led her in silence to a secluded spot on the upper deck and checked there was no-one in earshot before finally speaking. “Are you okay? How’s your back?” 

 

Nicole automatically reached over her shoulder to touch the tender spot. “Oh, it’s okay, it doesn’t really hurt. Thanks for asking.” 

 

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Waverly spoke again. “So we’re ignoring what happened last night?” 

 

“I’m sorry, Waverly. We shouldn’t have done that, but I shouldn’t have run off either,” Nicole admitted. 

 

“I’m sorry if I misread the situation. I didn’t mean to make you so uncomfortable.” Waverly’s unhappy expression made Nicole feel terrible. 

 

“You didn’t misread anything. I really wanted to kiss you, but I shouldn’t have.” 

 

“That’s the second time you’ve said that. Why?” 

 

Nicole had a whole list of reasons but she didn’t want to have that conversation right then. “It’s just a really bad idea. Can we leave it at that?” 

 

“I don’t think so. We need to talk about this.” 

 

Nicole sighed. “Okay, but not now. I need to get back to work.” 

 

“Later then. Before the party tonight?” Waverly asked. 

 

“I’m going to be pretty busy all day. I don’t want the rest of the crew to think I’m slacking.” Nicole had noticed the way that some of the others had started to look at her. 

 

“We’ll find time.” Waverly’s tone allowed no argument, so Nicole merely nodded, turned and walked back down to the kitchen. 

 

Within the hour they set off for Šipan, an island further up the coast, and Nicole was glad to be on the move. It gave her something to focus on other than Waverly. When they arrived in the small dock, much quieter than the marina in Cavtat, Nicole hopped off to help secure the lines. She glanced up to find Waverly on deck, staring at her while she worked. Caught out, instead of looking away, she winked and Nicole almost dropped the line. She bent back to her work, shaking her head. 

 

After lunch, the group went ashore to spend the afternoon exploring while the crew set up for that evening’s party. Nicole was slightly anxious about it after the previous party, but this group was smaller in number and quieter too. The party had wound down by midnight, everyone tired after a long day of travelling, and Nicole thought she might be able to avoid Waverly. There was no sign of her until Nicole did a final sweep of the deck and found her sitting quietly on her own. 

 

“Have you finished for the night?” she asked. 

 

Most of the crew had already turned in so Nicole had no excuse. “Yes, I was just making sure everything was okay up here.” 

 

“Good. Sit.” Waverly shifted over and patted the seat next to her. Nicole sat, making sure to leave a respectable distance between them, and looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. Being that close to Waverly, she could feel her resolve already begin to crumble. 

 

Without preamble, Waverly began. “So why is this such a bad idea?” 

 

Nicole had spent all day thinking about that very question. “First of all, you’re employing me. It’s unprofessional. I leave in less than a week. Our lives are worlds apart.” Nicole ticked each point off on her fingers. 

 

Waverly studied her carefully, then shrugged. “Okay. Those are all technically true. Why would any of that stop us from having a little fun?” 

 

“Fun?” Nicole huffed.  _ Of course _ Waverly was only looking for fun. 

 

“Yeah. Look, we obviously like each other. Spending time with you this week has been great. Plus, I knew I wanted to kiss you the first time I saw you,” Waverly smiled mischievously. 

 

“What, when I dumped a drink on you?” 

 

“Okay, maybe not the first time. I think we’ve got a real connection here, Nicole, don’t tell me you don’t feel it too.” 

 

As much as Nicole wanted to tell her just that, she couldn’t lie. “Fine. I feel it too. I’ve never met anyone like you, Waverly.” 

 

“You’re the most interesting person I’ve met in a long time, and I’d rather spend time with you than anyone else here. So what’s the problem?” 

 

“It’s not as easy as that. Week long summer flings are not my thing,” Nicole tried to explain. 

 

“What if it’s not just a summer fling? Maybe you’re such a good crew member that I hire you for every trip.” 

 

“Seriously, Waverly? You think you could just pay me to drop everything to come to you?” Nicole asked incredulously. She grasped the edge of the seat and turned her head away slightly.

 

“No... I didn’t mean that. Just that I would like to see you, and if that was the only way, I’d do it.” Waverly shifted closer and tentatively reached out to cover Nicole’s hand with her own. 

 

“Waverly...” Nicole was barely holding on to her self-control. 

 

“It’s okay. No pressure. You know where I am.” Waverly pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, stood and slipped away quietly. Nicole fought all of her instincts to follow her immediately, and instead sat where she was, eyes fixed on the moonlight reflecting on the water. 

 

Despite rising even earlier than usual in the morning, Nicole was still surprised by Waverly waiting for her when she emerged. 

 

“Morning! Smoothie?” she asked brightly, offering a glass filled with something green and thick. 

 

“Oh, uh, thank you.” Nicole accepted it and took a drink, as much to give herself time to think of something to say. Waverly was looking at her expectantly. “It’s good. You’re, uh, you’re up early.” 

 

“I wanted to make sure we had time for yoga before we had to get ready to leave. I knew you’d have lots of excuses about work if I didn’t.” 

 

Nicole just shook her head and laughed; Waverly had preempted her plan perfectly. “Fine. Ten minutes though, okay?” 

 

Nicole hadn’t been sure what to expect from Waverly after their talk. She’d thought that she might keep her distance, but if their yoga practice was anything to go by, the opposite was true. Waverly was more hands-on in her guidance than ever. Nicole knew that if she asked Waverly to stop, she would, but the truth was that Nicole didn’t want her to stop. She loved the way that Waverly’s hands felt on her body. 

 

When they finished, after twice as long as Nicole’s allotted ten minutes, Waverly began outlining her plans for the day. They were sailing to another island, Korčula, where she had arranged a sea kayaking tour for the group.

 

“I remembered you like kayaking so I thought you might like to come,” Waverly suggested. 

 

Nicole weighed up her options. She knew she should be spending less time with Waverly, not more, but she did love sea kayaking. And they wouldn’t be alone so it would be fine, she reasoned to herself. 

 

“I would like that,” she decided. 

 

“Good,” replied Waverly with a satisfied smile. Nicole knew she’d played right into Waverly’s hands, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

 

Shortly after their arrival in Korčula, the group gathered on the dock to meet their instructor. When Waverly saw the tandem kayaks, she immediately moved next to Nicole and asked, “Be my kayak buddy?” 

 

“Are you going to make me do all the work?” 

 

“I bet you look good doing it. But if you show me what to do, I will.” 

 

Nicole was distracted throughout the safety briefing and demonstration as Waverly stood close enough that their bare arms brushed together. At the end of the briefing, they were given life vests and pointed in the direction of the kayaks lined up on the slipway. Nicole helped Waverly into the rear seat before taking her position in front and picking up a paddle. They were the last to enter the water, Waverly letting out a small squeal at the initial splash. 

 

“I hope you’re not going to do that every time you get a bit wet,” Nicole teased, then gasped as Waverly used her paddle to flick cool water at her. 

 

“Whoops. I guess I need to learn to use this properly,” Waverly smiled sweetly. 

 

Their guide led them off slowly and despite several clashes of paddles, Nicole and Waverly were soon working in sync. Nicole instinctively took charge, calling directions over her shoulder and steering them where she wanted to go. It felt wonderful to be out on the water and completely in control, especially after the conflicting emotions of the last few days. Even if the source of her turmoil was sitting right behind her, happily narrating everything she could see. Nicole was content to listen to her as she paddled, relishing the hot sun on her skin and the familiar pull of her muscles. 

 

The guide set a leisurely pace but Nicole longed to strike out faster and further. When they arrived back at the dock to continue their tour on foot, Nicole slid out of the kayak to pull it back in, and once she’d made sure Waverly was safely ashore, she helped the others do the same. 

 

She was unbuckling her life vest when Waverly appeared next to her, saying, “Don’t do that just yet.” 

 

“Why not?” 

 

“Do you want to go back out? We can have one of the kayaks for the rest of the day,” Waverly told her. 

 

“What about lunch, and the rest of the tour?” 

 

“I’d rather do this. I thought you might like to have a little longer.”

 

“Just us?” 

 

“Just us,” Waverly confirmed, and Nicole nodded her agreement. 

 

Waverly saw everyone off before they climbed back into a kayak and Nicole steered them in the other direction. Waverly was quieter this time, only occasionally pointing out something she’d spotted. It took Nicole a while to realise that she was working harder than before, and she glanced behind her to see Waverly sitting with the paddle across her lap. 

 

“Hey, you’re supposed to be pulling your weight here. You promised,” Nicole scolded. 

 

“I was just taking a rest. You can easily do this on your own, you didn’t even notice.” 

 

“Well, I’ve noticed now. Back to it,” she ordered, and Waverly replied, just loud enough for Nicole to hear, “But I like watching you do it.” 

 

Nicole hid her grin from Waverly as she purposely flexed her muscles more. 

 

When Waverly decided they’d been in the sun for long enough - “You don’t want another sunburn, Nicole” - they turned for shore. As they neared the dock, Nicole realised that Waverly had stopped paddling again, and called back, “Stop slacking Earp.” 

 

“Sorry, I was just enjoying the view.” Nicole could hear the smile in her voice. 

 

“Are you checking me out?” 

 

Waverly laughed, “Guilty. It’s a really good view though.” 

 

“I didn’t come on this trip to be objectified, you know,” Nicole said lightly. 

 

Waverly continued to tease her until they arrived back at the dock. Nicole slid into the water and turned to see Waverly perched on the seat watching her. “I think you need to cool off a bit,” Nicole smirked and quickly tipped the kayak enough that Waverly slid into the water with a scream and a splash. Thanks to her life vest she barely went under but still came up spluttering and rubbing water from her face. 

 

“You... I can’t believe you just...” she choked out. 

 

Nicole adopted her best innocent expression as she replied, “Whoops,” then ducked out of the way as Waverly lunged for her. They splashed around for a few minutes, Nicole staying just out of Waverly’s reach, until Waverly held her hands up in surrender. Nicole laughed triumphantly and turned away to grab the kayak, only to be yanked back almost immediately. Waverly pulled again on her life vest and whispered in her ear, “Who’s laughing now?” 

 

Nicole managed to wriggle around so that their faces were only inches apart and, surprising herself as much as Waverly, darted forward to kiss her. Waverly tasted like salt water, sunshine and something indescribable that Nicole already felt sure she could not get enough of. Waverly’s arm tightened around her waist and her other hand reached up to tangle in Nicole’s hair. Nicole tried to pull her closer but the bulky vests were in the way, blocking the contact that she craved. She pulled away with a frustrated groan, tugging at the front of Waverly’s vest. 

 

“Stupid... in the way...” she muttered, and Waverly’s face broke into a grin. 

 

“Back to the yacht?” she suggested, and Nicole nodded in reply. 

 

They made short work of returning the equipment and hurried back to the boat, not speaking but both very aware of the energy between them. The yacht seemed deserted when they arrived back, and they didn’t see anyone else as they quickly made their way to Waverly’s suite. 

 

Nicole hesitated on the threshold until Waverly grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. Nicole pushed the door closed behind her and turned to face Waverly, taking her other hand and stepping closer. She could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest as Waverly gazed up at her. 

 

“Okay?” Waverly checked. 

 

“Mmm hmm,” Nicole nodded, not quite trusting herself to say any more. 

 

“Are you sure? If this isn’t what you want-“ 

 

“Oh, I want this,” Nicole reassured her with a smile. Waverly slid her hands up Nicole’s arms to the back of her neck and tugged her gently down into a heated kiss. Nicole’s skin tingled under Waverly’s touch, and it seemed Waverly was similarly affected as she shivered against Nicole. 

 

“Maybe we should get out of these wet clothes?” Nicole suggested, raising her eyebrows. Waverly responded by slipping her hands under Nicole’s tank top and pushed it up until Nicole raised her arms to allow her to pull it all the way off and discard it on the floor. 

 

They undressed slowly, punctuating each removed item of clothing with kisses, until they were bare to each other. Nicole felt her breath catch in her throat as her eyes roamed over the woman in front of her, all sun kissed skin, an intoxicating combination of toned muscle and soft curves. 

 

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered reverently, reaching out to brush a loose strand of long wavy hair away from her face. Waverly grasped her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her palm before leading her to the king-size bed. She pushed herself back on the bed and Nicole followed, unable to take her eyes off her. Waverly reclined against the pillows and reached for Nicole, who crawled up to meet her in a kiss that she felt in every part of her body. Waverly’s hands roamed from her shoulders down across her ribs to her waist, and pulled her closer. Nicole relaxed into her touch and they both gasped at the first contact. 

 

They moved slowly together, hands and mouths exploring, seeking the spots that made the other moan. As the heat between them built and began to take over, there was no doubt left in Nicole’s mind; she was completely lost in Waverly. 

 

Nicole was pulled from her comfortable doze by a knocking on the door. Confused, she moved to sit up, then realised that she was not in her own cabin, and that she was not alone. Waverly was sleeping peacefully next to her, hair spread out across the pillow, and Nicole thought she could look at her all day. She was reluctant to disturb her but the knocking started again, more insistent this time, so she gently shook her shoulder until she opened her eyes. 

 

“Wha... oh, hey,” she mumbled sleepily, a slow, satisfied smile spreading across her face. Nicole lost herself for a moment, smiling dopily back at her, then remembered why she’d woken her. 

 

“Someone’s at the door,” she whispered. 

 

“Maybe they’ll go away,” Waverly replied, burrowing further under the cover. At that, a voice called through the door, “Waverly?” 

 

Groaning, Waverly rolled over and out of bed, treating Nicole to a perfect view before she pulled on a robe and padded over to the door. 

 

Nicole only heard a few words of the brief conversation before Waverly closed the door and came back to the bed, sitting next to her. 

 

“Everything okay?” 

 

“Yeah, they were just wondering where I was. I guess we didn’t hear everyone coming back. Otherwise occupied,” Waverly smirked. 

 

“You could say that. What time is it?” 

 

“Just gone 5,” Waverly told her, and Nicole jumped up. 

 

“Crap. I need to get to work.” 

 

“And I should probably get out there too. I’d rather stay here though.” Waverly leaned into Nicole for a moment. 

 

“Me too,” Nicole whispered, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. They dressed quickly and quietly, and Waverly checked there was no-one around before they left her cabin. They said a quick goodbye and hurried off in opposite directions, Nicole looking for Marin to find out where she was needed. 

 

They were leaving for Split in the morning and Waverly’s friends were departing the day after, so the party went ashore for the night. Nicole tried to stay busy but couldn’t find enough distractions to keep her mind from wandering back to Waverly and their afternoon together. She had crossed a line she never thought she would, but then, she had never met anyone like Waverly before. 

 

Nicole found as many jobs as she could on deck, trying and failing to convince herself that she wasn’t waiting for Waverly, but when it got to 11pm and they hadn’t arrived back, she gave up and went to her cabin. 

 

An hour later, Nicole was woken for the second time that day by a tapping on the door. Heart racing, she got up to open it and Waverly slipped inside past her, leaving Nicole to close the door. 

When she turned around, Waverly was already sitting on the bed, taking off her sandals. 

 

“Make yourself at home,” Nicole muttered. 

 

“I am. Sorry it’s late, I just wanted to see you,” Waverly explained. 

 

“It’s okay, I’m glad you’re here,” Nicole admitted. She sat next to Waverly, who immediately moved closer and rested her head on her shoulder. Nicole wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer, and let out a contented sigh. They were both quiet for a moment before Waverly spoke up. 

 

“Do you still think this is a bad idea?” 

 

“Oh, I know it’s a terrible idea.” 

 

“Even after this afternoon? There was nothing terrible about that.” 

 

“That was about as far from terrible as it gets,” Nicole chuckled. 

 

“Then why did you do it if you still think it’s a bad idea?” Waverly lifted her head to look at her. 

 

“Because I don’t want to fight it anymore. It wasn’t ever that I didn’t want you, you know. Even if we only have these few days, it’s better to have that than nothing at all.” Nicole couldn’t quite believe herself that she had gone back so quickly on her words, but Waverly had such an effect on her. 

 

Waverly moved from her spot to straddle Nicole’s legs and brought her hands up to rest on her shoulders, thumbs gently stroking. “Well, I am very glad that you decided that.” 

 

“I kinda got that, from this afternoon.” Nicole laughed as Waverly blushed and hid her face on her shoulder. 

 

“You weren’t complaining,” came her muffled voice. 

 

“Certainly was not. Wouldn’t complain now, either.” 

 

“Wow, smooth,” Waverly laughed, pushing Nicole back on the bed and following her down. 

 

Nicole’s alarm woke them in the morning and Waverly immediately protested that it was too early, clinging tightly to Nicole in an effort to stop her rising. When Nicole managed to extricate herself, she dressed and went to start her morning, leaving Waverly to sleep. 

 

Between sailing to Split and Waverly spending the day touring the city with her friends, their paths didn’t cross again until much later in the evening. Nicole was clearing up the remnants of their party when Waverly passed and said quietly, “Come to my room in half an hour.” 

 

Waverly was waiting when Nicole knocked quietly on her door and ushered her inside with a smile. She gave her a quick kiss before they settled on the bed, and Nicole asked, “Did you have a good day?” 

 

“It would have been better if you’d been with us. I spent a lot of it thinking about how quickly I could get back.” 

 

“But it was your last day with your friends.” 

 

“Nicole, most of them aren’t really my friends,” Waverly said quietly. 

 

“What do you mean?” Waverly sighed and lay back, staring at the ceiling. 

 

“They’re mostly people I’ve sort of fallen in with in the last few years. Famous, rich, I guess I felt like they’re the sort of people I should be friends with. Now though, the more time I spend with them, the less I want to. I actually can’t wait for them to leave tomorrow,” she admitted. 

 

Nicole stretched out next to her and studied her carefully. “So what happened? What changed?”

 

Waverly turned to look at her, face serious. “I have. These people, this life, it’s all so… shallow, so fake. I don’t want  _ just this _ anymore.” 

 

“Think of all the good you’ll do with your foundation. There’s a lot more to you than all of this,” Nicole told her sincerely, interlacing their fingers.

 

Waverly squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile, but her eyes were still serious. “You’ve had something to do with this too,” she said softly.

 

“Me? What did I do?”

 

“You’re the most real person I’ve met in a long time. You treat me like anyone else, and you don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear.”

 

“I thought you didn’t like that?” Nicole said, gently teasing.

 

“I’d forgotten what it was like, no-one ever challenges me. I needed that.”

 

“Someone to throw a drink over you, insult you, dump you in the sea? I think anyone else might have fired me,” Nicole laughed. 

 

“Well, more fool them,” Waverly smiled, wriggling closer until she was pressed against Nicole. “I don’t have many people, Nicole. My sister, my aunt, Jeremy, that’s about it.”

 

“Your parents?” Nicole asked tentatively.

 

“Both gone.” Waverly didn’t elaborate and Nicole didn’t push.

 

“I’m sorry. Mine are around but we haven’t spoken in a few years.”

 

“I’m sorry too. They’re missing out.” Waverly snuggled closer and Nicole gently rubbed her back.

 

“It’s not always a loss when people leave your life.”

 

It wasn’t long before Nicole heard Waverly’s breathing even out and she knew she’d drifted off, but sleep eluded her. She was painfully aware that their time together was coming to an end. Despite her assertion that any time together was better than none, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen they parted. She didn’t want to admit it, even to herself, but there was no denying that she was in much deeper than she’d ever intended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments folks, much appreciated! Thanks also for indulging this silly idea.
> 
> Back next week for the conclusion to our WayYacht adventures...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As their time together draws to an end, will Waverly and Nicole sail off into the sunset...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, #Win4Wynonna! Wow that felt good!
> 
> As this Mills & Boon ends, big thanks are due to Lucky for encouraging this silliness in the first place and then very patiently editing every chapter and removing all the Britishisms.

The yacht was a hive of activity in the morning as Waverly’s guests prepared to depart. Several cars were waiting at the marina to take them to the airport, and once Waverly had seen them off, she came to find Nicole straight away. She pulled her into an unoccupied cabin and as soon as the door closed behind them, she wound her arms around Nicole’s waist and relaxed against her. Nicole just held her for a moment before she asked, “Everything okay?” 

 

“It is now. I’m glad they’re gone and it’s just us,” Waverly replied, voice muffled. 

 

“And the crew?” 

 

“Well, yeah. Some of them are going as well though since it’s just me left, so we’re almost alone. You can stay for the next few days, can’t you?” Waverly lifted her head to look at Nicole. 

 

“The plan was to finish the trip in Zadar and then leave from there, so yeah, if I’m needed I’m staying.” 

 

“I definitely need you to stay. Not as crew though, we’re on vacation now.” 

 

“But my job... and everyone else...” 

 

“Doesn’t matter. You never get the chance to just enjoy yourself for a few days, take it.” 

 

Seeing that Nicole was still doubtful, Waverly reassured her, “Don’t worry about the crew. I’ll tell them that your work’s over and you’re my guest for the last few days.” 

 

Nicole wasn’t sure how that would go down with the rest of the crew, but with only a few days left, she decided that it didn’t really matter. “Okay. I do need to finish what I was doing though. There’s a lot to clean up when everyone leaves.” 

 

“Fine,” Waverly pouted, “Can you be quick though? I have plans for us today.” 

 

“What’s the plan?” 

 

“Not telling. Find me when you’re finished and we’ll go.” 

 

Curious about Waverly’s plans, Nicole made short work of cleaning the remaining cabins and after a change of clothes, found Waverly relaxing on deck. 

 

Ten minutes later, they were stepping into a small speedboat with a guide, and Nicole asked again where they were going. 

 

“You’ll find out soon.” 

 

“Is it somewhere you’ve been?” 

 

“No, but I heard about it yesterday and I wanted to go with you.” 

 

“Is it nearby?” 

 

“Stop asking questions, just enjoy the ride.” Waverly took Nicole’s hand and leaned into her side as they left the marina and set off at speed across the calm water. Nicole relished the feeling of the wind whipping through her hair and the spray from the sea cooling her hot skin. As they approached a small island, Nicole turned to Waverly and asked, “Is this it?” 

 

“I think so. This is Biševo,” Waverly told her. 

 

They stepped ashore onto a busy dock and were immediately shown to another, smaller boat in which they set off round the rocky coast. Waverly remained tight-lipped so Nicole was confused until she spotted a small gap in the rock that looked just big enough for the boat. She pointed it out to Waverly and asked, “Are we going in there?” 

 

Waverly nodded, eyes fixed on the opening as they approached slowly. The captain called back to tell them to duck as he manoeuvred carefully through the gap, small enough that Nicole could reach out to touch the wall and the ceiling. She heard Waverly let out a long exhale as they emerged into a cave, shimmering in blue light. 

 

Nicole looked around in wonder at the light playing across the walls, reflecting on the calm surface of the water. 

 

“Wow.... what is this place?” 

 

“It’s just known as the Blue Cave. See, there’s a crack in the ceiling that lets the sunlight in, and the floor is limestone so it creates this blue light,” Waverly pointed out. 

 

“It’s amazing, I’ve never seen anything like this.” 

 

The boat made a slow turn in the small pool, allowing them to see into the depths of the cave, and Nicole leaned over the side to look to the bottom. She trailed her fingers though the water, marvelling at the way the light turned them silver. She felt Waverly grip her thigh and turned back to face her. 

 

“Be careful,” she whispered anxiously. 

 

“I will. Are you okay?” Nicole noticed the set of Waverly’s jaw and how clammy her hand was. 

 

“Fine. Just, uh, I just get a little claustrophobic.” 

 

“Then let’s get out of here,” Nicole said immediately. 

 

“No, I’m okay. I want you to see this.” 

 

“I’ve seen it. We can go.” Nicole indicated to the captain that they were ready to leave then sat back next to Waverly, interlacing their fingers. 

 

When they emerged blinking into the bright sunlight, she felt Waverly relax back against the seat and heard her breathing return to normal. They didn’t speak until they were back on land, and Nicole led her away from the crowds to a shaded spot under the trees. She placed her hands on Waverly’s shoulders and ducked her head to meet her eye. 

 

“Okay now?” 

 

Waverly nodded. “Yeah. Sorry about that.” 

 

“Hey, don’t apologise.” Nicole pulled her into an embrace and rubbed her back gently. “Why did you arrange a trip to a cave if you’re claustrophobic?” 

 

“It sounded amazing. I thought you’d like it.” 

 

“You did that for me?” Nicole pulled back to look at her, and Waverly gave her a shrug and a small smile. 

 

“It seemed like your kind of thing.” 

 

Nicole couldn’t believe that Waverly had deliberately put herself in that situation just for her. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and said, “You are something else, Waverly Earp. You really didn’t need to do that, but thank you.” 

 

She kissed her forehead and held her close for a moment longer. 

 

“Ready to go back?” Waverly asked. 

 

“If you are. What do you want to do for the rest of the day?” 

 

“Spend it with you,” Waverly smiled. 

 

“I think I’m okay with that,” Nicole grinned back. 

 

“I’m going to make you dinner. We’ll go to the market when we get back and everyone can have the night off,” Waverly decided. 

 

True to her word, once they had trawled the market for the ingredients she needed, Waverly sent everyone ashore for the evening and took over the galley. Nicole watched from the doorway as Waverly moved around uncertainly, opening drawers and cupboard doors at random. 

 

“Need a hand there?” 

 

“No, it’s just, I’ve never cooked here before. Actually, to be honest, I’ve hardly been in here at all,” she admitted sheepishly. 

 

“How about I show you where everything is, then you can do the cooking?” 

 

She gratefully accepted so Nicole helped her find the equipment she needed before Waverly ushered her out again. 

 

“Are you sure I can’t help?” 

 

“No, I want to do this. Here, take this and go relax for a while.” Waverly handed her a glass of wine and practically pushed her out of the door. 

 

Nicole took the opportunity to enjoy the warm evening with a book, smiling to herself at the situation she found herself in; a famous billionaire was making her dinner. Over an hour passed before Waverly emerged and set plates on the table, calling Nicole over to sit down. 

 

Before they began to eat, Nicole said, “Thank you for this, it looks great.” 

 

“Don’t thank me yet, you haven’t tasted it. And it’s nothing fancy.” 

 

“I appreciate the effort regardless. I can’t remember the last time someone cooked a meal for me.” 

 

“Well, you deserve it. You’re always doing things for other people so I wanted to do something for

you.” 

 

After a dinner of spaghetti with asparagus and lemon, which Nicole assured Waverly was delicious, they shared a tub of vegan ice cream. They passed the rest of the evening quietly, chatting comfortably over a drink, and retired to Waverly’s suite before the crew returned. 

 

Nicole’s 6am alarm jolted them both awake in the morning. “Nicole...” Waverly groaned, screwing her face up. 

 

“Sorry, sorry, I forgot to switch it off.” Nicole stumbled over to the chair where she’d left her phone and shut off the alarm. She crawled back into bed and stretched out next to Waverly again. Waverly seemed to have drifted back to sleep quickly but Nicole felt too awake. 

 

After ten minutes of lying stiffly in bed, she sighed and moved to get up, only to be stopped by a warm hand grabbing her wrist. 

 

“Where are you going?” Waverly mumbled. 

 

“I just usually get up at this time. I was going to see if I’m needed.” 

 

“No. You’re not working. Stay.” 

 

“There’s always lots to do when we’re leaving though.” 

 

“And there’s enough people to do it.” Waverly tugged until Nicole was lying down again, then shifted so that most of her weight was resting on Nicole, effectively pinning her to the bed. 

 

“What are you doing?” Nicole chuckled. 

 

“Keeping you here. I’ll fall asleep, then you can’t move me.” 

 

Nicole could only laugh. “You’re kinda ridiculous, you know that?” 

 

“And you still like me, what does that make you?” Waverly’s voice was muffled against the bare skin of Nicole’s chest.  _ Crazy about you _ , Nicole thought but the words died on her tongue. 

 

When they emerged a couple of hours later, the crew had the yacht ready for departure and soon they set sail for Zadar. 

 

With just the next day in the city before leaving for home the following morning, Nicole couldn’t help thinking about her departure. Usually by the end of summer she was ready to go home and back to college, but this year something was different. Waverly, of course. They had grown closer in just a few days than she ever could have anticipated, which would make parting all the more difficult.  _ It’s just a summer fling _ .  _ No regrets _ , she told herself.  _ Enjoy the rest of the time together and leave with good memories _ . 

 

With that in mind, she readily agreed when Waverly suggested going out to dinner. Over a delicious meal, Waverly broached the subject they’d both been preoccupied with. 

 

“Can you believe tomorrow is our last full day?” 

 

“Not really. I mean, I’ve been away for six weeks already, but these last two have flown by.” 

 

“These last few days have been the best by far of this trip. I’m sorry it’s almost over,” Waverly told her sincerely. 

 

“Me too. We always knew this was how it would go though, right?” 

 

“Right. Doesn’t mean I don’t wish we had more time together.” 

 

Nicole felt a tightness in her chest at Waverly’s admission, and reached out to grasp her hand. “I know. We do still have tomorrow.” 

 

“And we’ll make the most of it. And tonight,” Waverly dropped her voice and added, “I’ll show you how much I’ll miss you.” 

 

While Waverly was showering in the morning, Nicole went to her own cabin to pack her bags. Doing so made it all the more real that she was leaving so soon, but with some effort she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind in order to enjoy her day with Waverly. 

 

They went ashore for breakfast in a small cafe while Waverly pored over a guidebook, pointing out everything that she wanted to do and see. Her list was too long for a single day but they made their way around as much as possible, in and out of churches, through squares and down cobbled alleyways. Wandering hand in hand, stopping to take photos, Nicole could almost believe they were like any other couple enjoying their vacation. 

 

They were hot, hungry, and footsore by the time they sat down at a secluded table in an Old Town restaurant, but happy that they’d had a day they would remember. Over dinner, they talked about everything that they’d just seen, both avoiding the subject of what was still to come tomorrow. 

 

The sun was low over the water when they left and decided to take a final stroll along the waterfront. Waverly pulled Nicole to a stop as the sun began to set and, wrapped in each other’s arms, they watched as it dipped below the horizon. 

 

They made their way slowly back to the yacht, trying to stretch the evening out as long as possible, and once back on board, Waverly fetched a bottle of wine. Nicole arranged some cushions and blankets in a corner of the upper deck and they settled down, looking out across the water. Away from the lights of the city, the stars shone brightly in the inky black sky, and from their cocoon, they traced the constellations. When they’d exhausted those they knew, they made up names, each trying to outdo the other with the most outlandish suggestions. 

 

It was after midnight by the time they made their way quietly to Waverly’s cabin, and several hours more before either of them even thought about sleep. They lay face to face, legs entwined and covers kicked off as the sweat cooled on their bodies. 

 

Nicole thought Waverly had drifted to sleep until she said softly, “You really need to go back home tomorrow, huh?” 

 

“Yeah Waves, I really do,” Nicole replied, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. 

 

“Just checking.” Waverly sighed and closed her eyes again, her grip on Nicole’s waist tightening. 

 

“It’s okay, go to sleep. We’ve both got a long day tomorrow,” Nicole whispered. 

 

“But I don’t want to waste any time we have left,” Waverly mumbled. 

 

“It’s not a waste when we get to wake up together.” 

 

Waverly eventually gave in and fell into a light sleep, but it proved elusive for Nicole. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured herself walking away from Waverly for the last time. Instead she lay awake, savoring the feeling of holding Waverly in her arms, and cast her mind back to the time they’d spent together. As sorry as she was to be saying goodbye so soon, she knew she would always remember the summer that she spent with Waverly. Nicole finally fell into a fitful sleep, only to be woken by Waverly a short time later. 

 

Before she went to her own cabin to get ready, Waverly handed her a white envelope and said, “I guess I should give you this.” 

 

“What is it?” 

 

“Your paycheck. Remember, the reason you were here?” she teased. 

 

“Oh, yeah. Right, thank you.” 

 

When she was finally ready to go, after a final check of her bags, Nicole sat on her bed and opened the envelope. First out was a note in Waverly’s neat handwriting that said, “If you ever need anything...” followed by a phone number. Smiling, Nicole tucked it into her wallet then glanced at the check. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the amount, far in excess of what she expected. She hurried from the cabin and found Waverly waiting on deck. 

 

“What’s this?” she demanded, waving the slip of paper.” 

 

“Your paycheck?” Waverly looked confused. 

 

“With a few too many zeroes. Why?” 

 

Waverly took her by the elbow and steered her to a more secluded spot. “I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me.” 

 

“You don’t need to buy me off, Waverly. I’m not about to sell my story.” Nicole saw the hurt flash in Waverly’s eyes and immediately regretted her words. 

 

“Do you really think I’d do that?” Her tone was wounded. 

 

“No. I’m sorry Waverly, I didn’t mean that at all.” 

 

“As hard as it may be to believe, I just wanted to do something nice for you.” 

 

“I haven’t done any of this for money. Well, apart from the actual job part. This has meant more to me than that.” 

 

“Then please accept it. I want you to be able to get through your final year of college without distractions or worries about money.” 

 

Nicole was so unaccustomed to such acts of generosity that she couldn’t speak for a moment. She swiped the back of her hand across her eyes, took a deep breath and said, in as steady a voice as she could manage, “Thank you. This will make a huge difference. And I’m so sorry about what I said.” 

 

Waverly stepped forward into her embrace and said, “It’s okay. You deserve good things, Nicole.” 

 

With a final squeeze, Nicole let go and stepped back. “My bus is leaving soon. I have to go.” 

 

“I know. Are you sure you don’t want a car? I could come to the airport with you.” 

 

“No, you’ve done more than enough for me, and this is hard enough already.” 

 

“I didn’t think it would be so hard,” Waverly admitted, eyes bright with unshed tears. 

 

When Nicole had her things together she said goodbye to the remaining crew, then Waverly accompanied her down onto the dock. Neither of them could find the words they wanted to say, so they just held each other. 

 

“Let me know when you’re safely home, okay?” Waverly asked. 

 

“I will. Thank you for everything. This has been the best summer I’ve ever had.” 

 

“Me too. Until next time?” 

 

“Next time.” 

 

With a final kiss, Nicole hoisted her rucksack onto her back and walked away, looking back just once to return Waverly’s sad smile. 

 

Through the hours of travel that followed, a long bus journey and two flights, she could think of nothing but the woman she had left behind. 

  
  


It always took Nicole a few days to leave the summer behind and settle down to her everyday life. Coming from weeks spent travelling to exotic locations on board luxury yachts, to the banality of classes and part-time jobs was always a shock to the system, but this time she found it far more difficult to readjust. She threw herself back into classes and made the effort to catch up with friends, but there was a lingering sense of loss, a melancholy that she couldn’t shake. 

 

It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the reason why: Waverly. They had exchanged a few sporadic messages but when Waverly sometimes took hours to reply, Nicole felt like she was intruding on her busy life. Back at home, living in her tiny apartment, splitting her time between classes and the library, the contrast between their lives was starker than ever. 

 

That didn’t stop her thinking about Waverly almost constantly. It seemed that even the smallest thing reminded Nicole of her, from the new yoga mat rolled up in the corner of her room to half of the apps on her phone. 

 

By the end of her third week of classes, Nicole was finally starting to find her routine again. She left the library with a couple of classmates, turning down their invitation to a bar in favor of a lazy night in front of the TV instead. She paused at the bottom of the steps to check her phone, and her heart skipped as the screen lit up with a message from Waverly. It had been over a week since Nicole had last heard from her, and she almost dropped her phone in her haste to read the message. She finally unlocked it and opened the text, which read simply, “Look up.”

 

Nicole immediately raised her head, scanning the street around her until her eyes alighted on a figure leaning against a car. Casually dressed in jeans and a sweater, hair pulled back and sunglasses on, there was still no doubt that it was Waverly. She raised her hand in a wave and pushed herself off the car to walk towards her, and Nicole closed the distance between them. 

 

Nicole stopped in front of Waverly and gazed down at her; somehow she looked even more beautiful than before. Fighting the urge to reach out for her, Nicole shoved her hands in her pockets and smiled instead. “Hey.” 

 

“Hey yourself. It’s good to see you.” 

 

“You too. How did you know where I was?” 

 

“I didn’t really. I thought the library was a good bet but I was going to call you if you hadn’t appeared soon.”

 

“Not that this isn’t a great surprise, but what are you doing here?” 

 

“I missed you,” Waverly said simply. 

 

Nicole could resist no longer and pulled Waverly to her in a tight hug. “Oh, I missed you too,” she mumbled against her hair. 

 

“Can we go somewhere to talk? Grab a coffee?” 

 

“Sure, I’d like that.” 

 

Waverly ushered her into the back of the car and after giving the driver directions, settled back next to her. 

 

“So you always travel in style, huh?” Nicole asked. 

 

“The car? Yeah, I guess. I never really think about it anymore,” Waverly replied, looking almost embarrassed. 

 

“I’m just teasing. For someone used to cycling everywhere, this is the height of luxury.” 

 

Waverly seemed determined not to talk about why she was there and instead asked Nicole lots of questions about her classes. 

 

When they’d sat down in the coffee shop with their drinks in front of them, Nicole decided to broach the subject again. “So what really brings you here?” 

 

“Like I said, I missed you. I have some free time so I thought I’d visit. Is that okay?” Waverly looked unsure. 

 

“It’s great to see you, I’m just really surprised. I didn’t know if I’d see you again.” 

 

“Honestly, I didn’t plan this at all. I wanted to see you and I got the next flight I could. I’ve thought about you every day.” 

 

Nicole was about to reply when they were interrupted by a girl nervously asking Waverly for a photo. Waverly obliged with a smile then turned back to Nicole. 

 

“Sorry. What were you going to say?” 

 

“Does that happen to you a lot?” 

 

“Kinda, yeah. You get used to it.” 

 

“I’m not sure I ever would.” Nicole glanced around the shop and noticed several people looking in their direction. “Now people are staring at us.” 

 

“Do you want to go? We could go somewhere more private?” 

 

“I think we should, I don’t feel like we can talk properly here.” 

 

They left quickly and hurried out to the car. 

 

“Where to?” Waverly asked. 

 

Nicole hesitated before replying, “We could go to my apartment. It’s not far.” 

 

“Okay, let’s do that.” 

 

On the way, Nicole asked, “Is this what your everyday life is like? Being chauffeured around, getting recognised all the time?” 

 

“Not all the time. Often enough that it’s great to get away from it.” 

 

“I’ve never really seen that public part of your life before. When we were together, you were just Waverly.” 

 

“I  _ am _ just Waverly. That’s who I am, not all of this,” she insisted. 

 

When they arrived at Nicole’s building, she led Waverly upstairs and into her apartment. Nicole liked her apartment but was suddenly conscious of what it must look like to Waverly; tiny, simple decor, full of slightly worn furniture. She shifted from foot to foot as she watched Waverly look around, taking everything in. 

 

“I like your apartment.” 

 

“Really?” Nicole asked doubtfully. 

 

“Yeah, it’s great. It feels very... you.” 

 

“Too small and a bit scruffy?” 

 

“You are neither of those things, and your place isn’t either. It’s calm, and warm, and...I don’t know, safe. It’s how I feel when I’m with you.” Waverly took a few steps towards Nicole and reached for her hand. 

 

Nicole knew that they needed to talk about why Waverly had shown up so unexpectedly but she felt helpless to resist as Waverly pressed up to kiss her. It felt so natural, so right, that she just allowed herself to get lost in Waverly’s touch. Only when she felt warm, soft hands slide under her shirt did she stop and pull back, breathing heavily. She grasped her wrists and said, “Waverly, wait.” 

 

“I’m sorry. I just, I wanted to do that as soon as I saw you.” 

 

“Me too, believe me. But we need to talk.” 

 

Waverly nodded her agreement and they moved to the small sofa. Nicole sat with one leg tucked up under her and Waverly mirrored the position to face her. 

 

“Okay. You wanted to see me so you just jumped on a plane?” 

 

“That’s pretty much it. I wanted to surprise you, I didn’t even think about whether you’d be here or not.” 

 

“It was definitely a surprise. Is it a flying visit? A day? The weekend?” Nicole didn’t mean to sound demanding but she needed to know where they stood. 

 

“I... uh, I didn’t really plan that far ahead. Do you want me to stay?” 

 

“Look, Waverly, leaving you was so hard. If you’re going to leave again soon I need to know now, because I don’t think I want to do that again. I don’t know if I can,” Nicole admitted. 

 

“Well,” Waverly hesitated, “that depends.” 

 

“Depends?” 

 

“Yes, on you.” 

 

“On me?” 

 

“Are you just going to parrot everything back to me?” Waverly smiled, and Nicole laughed softly. 

 

“Sorry. What depends on me?” 

 

“Whether I stay or not. Or how long I stay. Do you want me to stay?” Waverly asked again. 

 

“Of course I do,” Nicole blurted without hesitation. Waverly’s face lit up with a beautiful smile and she shifted closer to Nicole, laying a hand on her knee. 

 

“But...” Waverly’s smile faltered and she looked uncertainly at Nicole. 

 

“But?” 

 

Nicole took a moment to get her thoughts in order before she spoke. She knew that she desperately wanted Waverly to stay, but she also knew how many obstacles were in their way. 

 

“But if you stay now, I wouldn’t want you to leave again.” 

 

“Why do you think I’d want to leave?” 

 

“Because your life isn’t here.” 

 

“But you are. My life can be anywhere I want it to be.” 

 

“Are you seriously saying you’d move here?” 

 

“Why not? I could do with a change.”

 

“But what about your work?” 

 

“I can be based anywhere. I’ve been busy working on my foundation but there’s no reason I couldn’t do that here.” Waverly’s eyes shone with excitement at her plans but Nicole was still doubtful. 

 

“Are you sure? These are big decisions to make on the spur of the moment.” 

 

“Okay, I know it wouldn’t be as straightforward as that. I’d have lots of details to work out, where to live and the rest, but I mean it. I want to be where you are.” 

 

Nicole stared down at Waverly’s hand on her knee and intertwined their fingers. Waverly waited patiently for her response while Nicole tried to process what she was saying. She finally lifted her eyes to meet Waverly’s, full of affection and a hint of trepidation. 

 

“It’s too much to ask of you.” 

 

“You’re not asking anything, I want to do this. The only question is, do you want it too?” 

 

_ This is it _ , Nicole thought. “I’ve never wanted anything more. I knew from the start this could never be just a summer fling for me.” 

 

“I don’t know how I thought it could. You were barely on the bus when I knew I had to see you again.” 

 

“Ah, so you _have_ been planning this,” Nicole chuckled. 

 

“It’s a miracle I held on this long,” Waverly grinned back as she slid her hand further up Nicole’s thigh and moved closer, “and I’ve waited far too long to do this.” 

 

Waverly closed the gap between them and captured Nicole’s lips in a searing kiss. Nicole allowed herself to be pushed back on the sofa until Waverly was resting most of her weight on top of her. She grasped at Waverly’s hip with one hand and tangled the other in long, silky hair. Waverly drew back to ghost her fingers across Nicole’s cheek and smooth her unruly hair away from her face. 

 

“So this is it? You and me?” she whispered. 

 

Nicole kissed her again before she replied, “You and me.”

 

“Good, because I’m not letting you go again.”

 

“Sounds perfect to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say cheeeeeese! Thanks for reading and for the comments, this was a lot of fun!
> 
> Hope to see some more WayHaught Mills & Boons... 😁

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone wants to join in the WayHaught Mills & Boon prompt challenge, check me (@HaughtToScot) or @LuckyWantsTo on Twitter - pick your title and write your fic!


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